Do You Have a Galatians 1:10 Mindset?

When Paul rebuked those who'd reverted to Old Testament law- keeping, he explained his godly motive:

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

These Galatians were under powerful cultural and ethnic influence to obey Old Testament laws which Christ has fulfilled. They were heavily influenced by the law-keeping Jews even though they had accepted the New Covenant in Christ.

We see this happening in the modern Hebrew Roots or Torah-observant Movement which has trapped many professing Christians. It should be no surprise that it typically produces a pharisaic superiority in its followers who strongly criticize Christians living biblically unshackled by the law. 

But this example is not the major cultural pressure on Christianity. The strongest pressure is coming from our world's promotion of sinful lifestyles and sinful practices. There's strong pressure on Christians to soften biblical language so we can avoid being called hateful and harmful.

In truth, silencing, softening, or underestimating God's commands is hateful, based solely on winning human approval. 

God's strong, clear warnings in Scripture are not hateful. We should speak and act graciously, but be unashamed of the clarity and emphasis of God's Word. God came to save us from sin, not comfort us as we head toward Hell.  

Whenever our language about sin or our definition of sin contradicts the language and definitions of Scripture, we've denied the Galatians 1:10 mindset. 

For more on the subjects in this devotion, see Hebrew Roots Movement and The Effects of Culture.